There’s nothing quite like a face-to-face conversation.
But if, like many of us, you’ve recently started working remotely more often, you’ll already know that the whole ‘face-to-face’ thing doesn’t always translate well to the digital workplace – especially when you’re limited to seeing just a handful of faces during a meeting.
If this sounds familiar, the latest Microsoft Teams feature – the 3×3 Grid View – will be a very welcome change.
So, let’s find out what it does, how it works, and why it looks set to change the face of your virtual meetings.
What is the 3×3 Grid View for Microsoft Teams?
In a nutshell, the 3×3 Grid View in Microsoft Teams allows you to view the camera streams of nine participants at one time during a video call.
Launched on May 18th 2020, the feature was announced on Twitter with a (rather adorable) example of the feature in action.
Previous to this update, Microsoft Teams video calls were limited to four total video streams at once. You were always able to have more than four attendees, of course, but could only actually see four of them at any one time.
Now? That’s been boosted to nine. That’s a lot of facetime!
How to activate the 3×3 Grid View in Microsoft Teams
Activating the 3×3 Grid View in Teams literally could not be easier – because you don’t have to activate it at all.
Instead, now that the feature is live, it’ll kick in by default for any meeting with more than nine attendees who have their cameras enabled.
If you have more than nine attendees in a call, Teams will give preference to those who have their cameras enabled, and everyone else will appear as an avatar at the bottom of the screen. Want to view just one of the camera feeds and have everyone else at the bottom? Just hover over an attendee, click the three dots menu, then select Pin. You can pin as many of the camera feeds as will fit on your screen. To unpin the, just repeat the steps and click Unpin.
It’s clear that the 3×3 Grid View in Teams will be great for collaboration and team unity, but you might have a question on your mind: What happens when everyone is talking at once?
Don’t worry – because the boffins at Microsoft Teams have cracked that one, too.
The ‘Raise Hand’ feature
Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in video calls will know that things can get a bit chaotic. From people accidentally talking over one another due to network lag or even just the lack of an agenda, it’s sometimes useful to introduce a bit of structure.
In an attempt to do exactly this, Microsoft has also recently added the Raise Hand feature to Microsoft Teams.
Put simply, you’ll now see a Raise your hand button on the Teams meeting toolbar during a call. Click it, and an icon will appear on your camera feed for the organizer to see. Once they’ve given you the floor, you can click the button on the toolbar again to lower your hand.
If you’ve ever been on a plane and needed a drink mid-flight, you’ll be right at home with this feature.
Is your business making the most of Microsoft Teams?
At Get Support, we know that more businesses than ever are jumping on board with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365. We also know that plenty of companies aren’t aware of many of its productivity tools and features.
If you’d like any help getting your team up to speed with Teams or 365, drop us a line today on 01865 59 4000 and we’ll offer some expert advice.
